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✨ Hidden Gems: 2 Powerful but Less Used EF Core LINQ Methods (2025 Update)

Bharath Kumar J C

— 1 min read
✨ Hidden Gems: 2 Powerful but Less Used EF Core LINQ Methods (2025 Update)

Go beyond the basics — Master these underrated EF Core features to write high-performance, production-grade applications! 🚀

1️⃣ ExecuteUpdateAsync() — Bulk Update Without Loading Entities 🛠️

Introduced in EF Core 7 — Perform direct SQL UPDATE operations without fetching entities into memory.

🔹 Usage:

await dbContext.Users
    .Where(u => u.LastLogin < DateTime.UtcNow.AddYears(-1))
    .ExecuteUpdateAsync(setters => setters
        .SetProperty(u => u.IsInactive, true)
        .SetProperty(u => u.UpdatedAt, DateTime.UtcNow));

🔹 Why it's powerful:

No need to load or track entities.

Generates direct SQL UPDATE statements.

Reduces memory footprint and database roundtrips.

Perfect for batch or bulk updates.

2️⃣ TagWith() — Add Debug Labels to SQL Queries 🏷️

Available since EF Core 5+, but still underused!
Use TagWith() to embed custom comments inside the generated SQL queries — essential for debugging and monitoring.

🔹 Usage:

var activeUsers = dbContext.Users
    .TagWith("Fetching active users for dashboard metrics")
    .Where(u => u.IsActive)
    .ToList();

🔹 Why it's powerful:

Adds custom SQL comments for easier tracing.

Helps debugging queries in SQL Profiler, Application Insights, and database logs.

No impact on runtime or application performance.

🧠 Final Thoughts

While most developers use standard LINQ methods, knowing these hidden gems like ExecuteUpdateAsync and TagWith can give your applications a real performance and maintainability edge.

Stay tuned for more EF Core tips to supercharge your backend skills! 🚀

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